Plight of the Prinny trailers don’t bode well for Disgaea Infinite

When it comes to the elegant art of leveling-up, no other JRPG series can hold a candle to the grind-fest that is Disgaea. Disgaea titles are infamous for their difficultly and length, giving grinders lots to do as they boost stats, manage skills and form god-like parties that can take on any boss battle. But Disgaea games have also made a name for themselves with their unique sense of humor that’s particularly well suited for otaku, with stories, sight gags and cutscenes that could just as easily feel at home in an anime or manga series. That’s why we were excited to hear that the latest entry in the Disgaea series, Disgaea Infinite, would take on the form of a more story driven adventure novel. Unfortunately, the latest trailers don’t bode well for the upcoming genre change.

The first of the three new Disgaea Infinite trailers released today focus on introducing non-Disgaea fans to the plight of the Prinnies. These penguin-like demons have been doomed to the Netherworld to work off their sins in past lives and generally serve as the whipping boys of the main cast of characters in the games. As far as mascots go, the fanny pack-toting, bomb-tossing Prinnies are great fun. But today’s trailer will do little to win over strangers to the series. It also suggests that you’ll spend much of your time in Disgaea Infinite playing as a Prinny who can possess other game characters to control their actions, which just doesn’t seem as fun.